Thursday

Oct 4, 2018 at 5:35 PMOct 4, 2018 at 5:35 PM

It’s not fall in New England without piping hot clam chowder on the table.

The Ipswich Lions Club will make sure everyone gets their chowder fill at their annual Chowderfest on Saturday, Oct. 13, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the Ipswich Riverwalk behind EBSCO and also across the street on the Center Green by the Visitor’s Center. The actual chowder tasting will take place from noon to 3 p.m.

Diane Mayo, a local Realtor and an Ipswich resident for 35 years, will serve as the chairman of the event.

“The concept is to incorporate the whole community and encourage people to walk around downtown and support the local businesses,” Mayo said. “We’re lucky to have a great group of local sponsors. Everyone is really coming together to put on a great community event for the town.”

This is the 23rd year the Lions Club has sponsored Chowderfest, which is a fundraiser to support the club’s eyesight campaign.

The Lions partner with medical professionals and community leaders to screen young children, primary school students and adults to identify those at risk for vision loss. The Lions visit schools and businesses around the Ipswich and surrounding areas and offer vision screenings with a special spot vision camera.

The club also collects old eyeglasses, which are sent around the world for those not fortunate enough to have glasses available to them.

As of 2017 the Ipswich Lions Club had donated $252,411.65 to the eyesight campaign.

Chowderfest will feature clam chowder tastings from various local restaurants, live entertainment, activities for children and local crafters and vendors.

Participating restaurants and food businesses include The Brown Dog, CK Pearl, Ithaki, Ipswich Inn, Shaw’s, Ipswich Clambake, Jules’ Kitchen, Super Sub and EnFuego, which will be all be competing for the title of best chowder.

There are two awards up for grabs — the crowd favorite, which all attendees are able to vote on, and the judges award, which a panel of six judges award.

Last year the Ipswich Clambake took home both the crowd and judge awards.

The Orville Giddings band will be back again to entertain the crowd, while local beer from the True North Ale Company will be on tap for the adults to enjoy.

The chowder will be served beneath a tent in the EBSCO parking lot and local Boy Scout troops will cook hamburgers and hot dogs across the street at the Center Green.

Chowderfest was moved downtown last year in an effort to help promote the festival and downtown businesses. It had previously been held at various locations around town, from the high school to the South Green. But organizers and attendees loved the central location and vibrancy of the Riverwalk at last year’s event and wanted to return.

“Our Lions vision screenings are all about helping the community, so it made sense to have our biggest fundraising event downtown and in the center of the community,” Mayo said. “We want to make it as fun as possible for everybody. It’s great family entertainment.”

Mayo said that last year’s 1,200 attendees caught the organizers off guard.

“We weren’t quite ready for the number of people we got last year, but this year we’re ready,” Mayo said. “We’ll be scanning pre-bought tickets at the gate and there will be two entrances instead of one. We want to get people in and having fun as quickly as possible.”

Tickets to Chowderfest cost $10 and can be purchased in advanced through the Eventbrite website by searching for “Ipswich Chowderfest” or bought at the door. Children under 10, free. The event is sponsored by EBSCO, Institution for Savings, Thomas Mayo Associates/Architects, Lamacchia Realty, Guaranteed Rate and New England Biolabs.

“We’re excited to keep growing the event year after year,” Mayo said. “It’s exciting to have new restaurants and businesses participating, and we are looking forward to a great family event again this year.”